Street-traffic signal.



Patented Jan. 22, 1918.`

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STREET TRAFFICVSIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 24. 1916.

' 1,254,305. v Patented Jan. 22,1918.

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C. W. BLAKESLEE.

STREET TRAFFIC SIGNAL. y APPLICATION man 1AN.`24.1916. 1,254,305. Patented Jan. 22,1918.

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afn/uy UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

V CLYDE W. BLAKESLEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR F TWENTY-FOR AND.AON4'E HALF ONE-HUNDREDTI-IS TO IRA J. MCDOWELL AND TWENTY- FOUR AND ON E-HALF ONE-HUNDREDTI-IS TO WESTLY H. WESTBROOK, BOTH OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STREET-TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLYDE W. BLAKESLEE,

l a citizen of the United States, and a resi-- dent of the city of Chicago, county of Cook,

and State of Illinois, have invented certain -new and useful Improvements in Street- Traliic Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in street traiiie signals, and has for its object the provision of an improved manually operable construction for controlling the traflic at street corners in large cities.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.` l

The invention will be best understood by .reference to the accompanying ,drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation shown partially in section of a signal post employed in the construction,

Fig. 2, an enlarged section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3, an enlarged section taken through a watch tower employed in the construction, Fig. 1, a horizont-al section taken through a conduit leading from the watch tower to the signal post and located under the street,

Fig. 5, a view of the watch tower,

' Fig. 6, an eleva-tion ofthe upper portion the street leading from under post 11 to a corner of a sidewalk of the crosslng. A'

segmental pinion 14 is mounted in the con duit 1:3 on the lower end of shaft 12 and meshes with a segmental gear 15 also mounted in Isaid conduit and connected by wires or cables 1G with a cross arm 17 secured to thcl lower end of a. hollow7 vertical shaft 18 Specification of Letters Jgatent.

` tion.

Patented J an. 22, 1918.

Application 1ed `January 24, 1916. Serial No. 73,917.

i locatedjat the sidewalk corner. The shaft 18 extends upwardly through a hollow supporting post 19 mounted at the sidewalk corner and carryinga watch tower 20 at its top. At its upper end shaft 18 is provided with asegmental bevel gear 21 meshing with a segmental bevel gear 22 operable by means of a handle lever 23 by an operator in said wat-ch tower. The arrangement is such, as will be observed, that. the operator in the watch tower 20, b v manipulating lever 23, may readily oscillate shaft 12 in signal post 11 through an angle of ninety degrees, A hollow signal cross-arm 21 is secured to the upper end of shafty 12 above post 11 and is provided on each side with translucent stop signs, an electric light bulb 25 being located in each of said arms. Another electric light 26 is mounted centrally on arms 24 to serve as a general illumination "when desired. A depending sign member 27 in the form of a sleeve is mounted to oppgate with arms 24 and is also provided witligatranslucent sign as indicated in hig, 6, coperating with the signs on arm 24, said depending sign member being provided to facilitate view by people situated in low covered vehicles. Electric light bulbs 28 aire arranged in depending sign 27 to` illuminate the interior thereof at night. The electric lights 25, 26

and 23 are connected byiineans of wires 29,

with a switch 30 located-in the watch tower 20 and connected with electric supply wires 30 by means of whichf'isaid lights may be controlled by the operator.

A cam plate 31 is secured to the upper end of shaft 12 immediately below arm 24 and is provided with depending cam lugs 32 and 33 there being two ofthe lugs 33` set on a j circle with the axis of shaft 12 as a center slightly within the corresponding circle for lug 32. A spring held bell clapper 34: is provided with two upstanding oppositely acting springheld dogs 35 and 36, the dog 35 being set in the path of cam lug 32 and Vthe dog 36 being set in the path of cam lug 33, the arrangement being such that as shaft 12is rotated in one direction the dog 35 will be operatively engaged by the camlug 32 and the clapper 31 operated to strike the gong 37 a single blow, the dog 36 passing idly under cam lugs 33 during this o era- Upon reverse oscillation ofsha 12,

the dog 36 operatively engages the'cam-Iugs 33 to strike two blows on the gong 37, dog idly passing cam lug 32, as will be readily understood. By this arrangement, it will be observed that upon each oscillation of the signal arm 2Lione stroke of the gong will be sounded upon the oscillation in one direc tion, and two strokes of the gong will be sounded upon the oscillation in the othery direction.

An electrieelapper 38 is mounted in a casing 39 coi'itaining suitable electrical mechanism for operating the same to sound the gong 37v continuously and uniformly. The apparatus in casing' 3l) is operatively connectedwith electric wires d() .which `pass downwardly through shaft l2, thence through conduit i3 upwardly through shaft 184, connected with the switch il in the watchmans tower. By this arrangement in case of fire, the operator may sound a signal which will notify the trahie that the fire apparatus is approaching and that the street must be clear.

In use the signal post 11 is set at thecenter of a street crossing and the signal arm 24 and depending signal QT set on the shaft l2 to point longitudinally along one street and at right angles to the other, thus indieating that said one street is open to traflic ,and the other closed.` When the operator desires to alter the trend of traflic he oscillates shaft l2 to throw thesignal arm through an angle of ninety degrees and thus to extend along the other street and across the first street. At one movement of arm 24. a single audible signal will be given by gong 37 and ai, the other movement of said arm two audible signals will be given by said gong, ai explained above to further assist in control of the traffic. Incase of tire a general alarm may be given for clearing the street along which the fire apparatus is approaching and signal arm 24 be manipulated to indicate said street.

v`While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for earrying my invention into effect, this is ca pable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new' and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A street traffic signal for street crossings comprising a hollow post; a shaft operating in said post; a signal mounted at the top of said post on said shaft; a gong;

a clapper for said gong; means on said shaft' for operating said clapper different numbers of times upon oscillating said shaft in different *.directions; and means for operating said shaft, substantially as described.

2. A street traflic signal for street crossings comprising a hollow post, a shaft arranged in said post, a signal on the upper end of said shaft, a gong, a clapper for said gong, a pair of oppositely operating dogs on,said clapper, means rotatable with said signal for operatively engaging one of said dogs when the shaft is rotated in one direction to aetuate the elapper a given number of times and for operatively engaging the other dog when the shaft is rotated in the opposite direction to operate the clapper a different numbervof times, and means for oscillating said shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described the hollow post, a shaft in said post, a signal mounted on the upper end of said shaft and rotatable therewith, a gong mounted upon said post, a clapper for said gong, a pair of Oppositely operating dogs on said clapper, a single leg on said signal adapted to operatively engage one of said dogs and a pair of lugs on said signal adapted to operatively engage the other dog, and means for oscillating said shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

oLYnE vv. staitnstna.

Witnesses:

JosnUA Il'. H. Porre, HELEN F. LILLIS. 

